St. Cloud Planning Commission Backs Street Changes to Spur Revitalization

(KNSI) – St. Cloud’s Planning Commission recommended giving up a few streets around a busy intersection to make way to redevelop a blighted lot.

The commissioners approved a request by Sanvik Development to vacate a small portion of 19th Avenue South, West Division Street and alley rights-of-way between Cooper Avenue South and 19 1/2 Avenue South and Division Street and West St. Germain Street. The area was once the home to an Xcel Energy substation and other buildings, which were removed in 2017 to make way for redevelopment. The move would allow the owner to have larger lots, giving them more site development options. Any project there must utilize tax increment financing based on prior statutes as a blighted property.

Community Development Director Matt Glaesman explained to KNSI News the decision is “consistent with that vision of that 2015 comprehensive plan where we see commercial or mixed-use buildings running across that entire site. So, the Planning Commission saw that the vacation of the roadways was a necessary step to facilitate that.”

Glaesman feels building in that area would “provide great economic benefit, job creation, property taxes from a city perspective, and just change the character of that intersection at Cooper and Division Street. But it also has that catalyst effect where not only do we receive the return, the adjacent properties then become much more attractive.”

The city council will hold a public hearing and decide on the matter in February. At that time, officials hope to learn more about the developer’s plans for the land at that meeting.

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